It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,377,184 to apply a tacky adhesive, preferably a polyvinylchloride plastisol, to a base fabric material in a desired pattern, and thereupon to apply or flock a plurality of bead-like pieces or particles of synthetic plastic material onto the tacky adhesive. The excess particles are then removed. The adhesive is cured by being heated. The plastic particles are thus fixedly set on the fabric material. The plastic particles actually melt slightly during the curing and fuse with the adhesive. The adhesive may be applied thicker or thinner depending on its proposed use; see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,582,440.
It is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,806,397 to apply a multitude of light-reflective flakes (also known as “glitter”) onto such an adhesive which has been applied to a release paper material. Each flake has an aluminum core which is coated over its entire periphery with a thin layer of a transparent polyvinylchloride. To cure the adhesive, heat is applied thereto and to the flakes on the adhesive. During this heating step, the transparent layer of polyvinylchloride that coats the flakes melts slightly and fuses with the adhesive. The flakes being essentially two-dimensional, planar and thin, e.g., on the order of 4 mils, lay flat against the release material.
It is further known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,434 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,912,065 to place a foil sheet over a plurality of discrete shaped plastic particles or beads and to fix portions of the foil sheet on upper surfaces of the particles. Thereupon, the foil sheet is peeled off the particles, leaving behind the fixed foil sheet portions which act as an irregular light-reflective surface.
It is also known to create burnout fabrics by chemically dissolving cellulose fibers in a composite fabric. Typically, a freezer paper stencil is pressed under dry medium heat and pressure against the fabric, and a brush is used to apply a chemical etchant to the open stencil areas onto the fabric. After removal of the stencil, the etchant is activated, and the cellulose fibers in the open stencil areas are dissolved, thereby transferring the stencil pattern to the fabric.
Although generally satisfactory for their intended purpose, the known processes of making burnout fabrics is labor-intensive, messy and requires expertise in safety handling chemical etchants, while the known processes of applying beads and/or glitter to fabrics do not realistically simulate embroidery prepared by manual sewing needlework on openwork nettings.